PERIODIC AUDIT OF PROGRESS 4 
son, this difficulty will pass away after the first or second year. It 
should then become possible to determine whether the adjustment 
time is increasing or decreasing, and, if the former, to obtain some clue 
as to the cause. 
Adequate analysis of this matter will be facilitated if the cases are 
classified according to their nature and the adjustment time computed 
separately for each class. If they are lumped all together, reasonable 
variations due to the nature of the complaint will be concealed. Sta- 
tistics relating to this matter will not be conclusive unless all com- 
plaints brought to the attention of foremen and other members of the 
management are duly recorded, whether subsequently considered by 
committees of the works council or not. 
For this reason it may seem unwise to attempt the method described. 
To require foremen to write out a description or even a brief report of 
each complaint or request made to them would add to their “paper 
work,” which in some plants is already excessive. Moreover, many 
requests are so trivial, and their adjustment so simple and prompt, 
that the time required for making a record may seem wasted. 
At the Lynn Works of the General Electric Company, West Lynn, 
Mass., during the first three years of the representation plan, the 
burden of recording each case was placed upon the employee represen- 
tative who handled it. Each representative was furnished a note 
book for the purpose. After the novelty of the plan had worn off, 
however, it became increasingly difficult to obtain in this way accu- 
rate data as to the number and character of cases handled without 
recourse to committees. Some representatives kept very adequate 
records while others kept meager ones or neglected altogether to 
write up their cases. In December 1921, therefore, the plan was 
dropped, and henceforth only matters which were referred to shop 
committees were included in statistical reports of the representation 
plan. 
While omission of cases settled by foremen makes a study of the 
time element somewhat inconclusive, it does not seriously affect the 
results. If a question is not settled promptly by the foreman, or if 
the foreman’s adjustment is not satisfactory to the complaining 
employee, the case is almost certain to be referred to a committee. 
Where the foreman effects a prompt and satisfactory settlement, the 
Fr.